PARENTS: LET 5-YEAR-OLDS GO TO VERDE

A group of Palm Beach County parents who want to prevent their elementary school-aged children from being bused from Boca Raton to Delray Beach say they will be satisfied now if the School Board at least allows the 5-year-olds to stay close to home.

"If the concern is for elementary kids, then take the youngest -- take the 5-year-old kids -- and save them from that bus trip."

Engdahl belongs to a group called Schools To Include Neighborhood Kids, or STINK, which consists of about 100 parents who live west of Boca Raton and want their children reassigned from S.D. Spady Elementary School in Delray Beach to Verde Elementary west of Boca Raton.

The group was formed in February to lobby for the school attendance boundaries to be redrawn, saving their 83 children from the 12-mile bus ride to the Delray Beach school.

School Board members are scheduled to vote on school attendance boundary changes affecting about 2,200 students recommended by School Superintendent Tom Mills at 7 p.m. Wednesday in the board chambers, 3323 Belvedere Road, West Palm Beach.

Mills has recommended that STINK's request be turned down.

A report submitted by Mills to the board states that the number of students returning to Verde from Spady and from private schools would severely overcrowd Verde if the boundaries are redrawn.

In addition, the superintendent pointed out that a new elementary school is scheduled to open in the area in two years.

But the parents still say they want something done now.

"The core group met Saturday morning in light of the fact that Superintendent Mills said he will not recommend (our request) for all the children," Engdahl said.

"His concern is the number of children involved . . . and we feel the School Board is unlikely to go against the superintendent's recommendations," he said.

"So we got together again and said what's the issue? Young children -- elementary-age children -- being bused a distance outside their area to school. So we say, OK, take the kindergarten kids."

Engdahl cited School Board statistics that show Verde will have an enrollment of 942 students next year. Student capacity at the school is 1,035, he said.

"That shows there are 93 spaces available by the board's own numbers," Engdahl said. "The board is saying no way will we take 230 students, (the estimated number of Spady and private school students), so we say just take the young ones. You already have 93 openings."

Engdahl said he does not know if the board will accept their revised request.

"If their hearts and minds are in the right place, they will," he said.

Howard Johnson, senior planning specialist with the school board, said he was aware of the parents' revised request but did not know enough about it to comment.

"I think they're just going to try it and see what happens," Johnson said, adding that it would be "awful hard to say" how the board will vote.

Superintendent Mills could not be reached for comment Monday.

STINK member Julie Green said the group estimated about 40 additional kindergarten students -- or one-sixth of the 230 -- possibly would attend Verde if the board makes an exception for them.

"I have no idea how they will vote," Green said. "But we're going to try."